I Am Dragon, He's a Dragon, Dragon Inside Me, On - Drakon
by Avalicious
Summary: This will be a novelization of the Russian movie about a woman kidnapped by a dragon on her wedding day. The film is described as a romantic fantasy adventure film. If you wish to see the movie, I suggest you watch it in the original language with subtitles. Since I could find no novelization or fandom about this fairytale movie, I decided to do it myself. Wish me luck :)
1. Prologue

Where the light burns the heart...

Where my secret lies hidden...

Where shadows seek after people...

That is where my story begins.

In the land, people knew no happiness. They had tears where their eyes should have been. They had fear where their hearts should have been. They had death where the sky should have been. And they gave to the sky what was most precious to them: their daughters.

Every decade, four young women who had reached puberty were chosen as offerings. The maidens were dressed in white to signify their purity. The vedmas, dressed in black, cried as they prepared for the ritual. They fed the maidens a bloodberry nectar and embellished them with red necklaces as a symbol of their sacrifice. They smeared ashes on the maidens faces and patted them with snow to mark them. For the dragon.

The vedmas started chanting.

Before,

there was no time, no earth, no dust, nothing.

All was forgotten.

What was falsity became verity.

The river froze into nothingness.

The whimpering maidens walked barefoot on ice with carefully laid bloodberries showing them the way to the dugout canoes, and they laid on it as the townsfolk showered them with treasures... for the dragon. Then they released the canoes on the water and waited for the dragon to come and choose which maiden will be taken away and which ones will be spared. The townsfolk joined them in the ritual song.

Time is a fast-flowing river.

It spares no one.

The bride awaits her bridegroom

as she awaits her destiny.

A young knight watched as his love was sent to the water. He was held by four men so he couldn't interfered with the rite.

She is clad in white,

as if dressed in a shroud.

Eternal peace will come for her...

The wedding bell tolls.

He tried to rescue her, he wanted to save her from this barbaric ritual, but all he could do now was watch and pray for another maiden to be taken instead.

Take her away!

Take her away!

Come!

Come for her!

The young maiden

is yours for eternity.

When they finished the song, the town fell silent and only the wind could be heard. Flapping sounds came from afar and felt stronger and nearer with every second it passed. A roar came from above and the dragon appeared. Its huge wings brought forth a snowstorm pushing down everything and everyone in its wake. The black dragon encircled the maidens as if deciding which one to chose, then, planed down toward the water below and not even the roaring wind could dampen the maidens screams.

The dragon chose his maiden and a knight lost his love. All his dreams of a future life with his maiden came to a halt right there and then. The knight lost his balance as the dragon took her away. But his love was stronger than his fear. His people didn't let him shield his love from the dragon, but the brave knight vowed to find and rescue his lover. He traveled for a very long time across land and water. When he finally found the dragon's lair, it was too late. His beloved had perished. Fueled by revenge, the knight then lunged at the monster. His grief and his fury merged into one mighty blow, killing the dragon.

The knight freed his people from fear, and they called him the dragonslayer.

Years passed, all past woes were forgotten, and the dreadful dragon ritual was transformed into a wedding rite.

Then, the day came for the dragonslayer's grandson Igor to marry the Duke's youngest daughter, Miroslava.


	2. Chapter 1: The Wedding

The sun shone brightly on her wedding day. It was perfectly clear, with no clouds, white or gray, on site. It was so bright, it didn't look like a winter day, but it sure felt like one. Miroslava felt grateful to have such a cozy room, with the heat of the fireplace warming up the winter morning, and her kosovorotka, a long warm dress shirt with long sleeves made of fine linen embroidered with five different patterns of white lace.

She felt beautiful and excited like her heart was about to burst, but she was also nervous. This was an important day, she was to marry Igor, the dragonslayer's grandson. Mirra tried to hide it and just concentrated on her task at hand, playing with the toy dragon she could never get to fly.

Her older sister, Yaroslava, braided her ankle-length blonde hair.

"Hear that Mirra," Yaroslava asked.

"The groom has arrived!" One of the maids said.

"Get her dress and the necklace while she's counting crows," her sister said.

"I'm not counting crows. I'm thinking. It's a pity there are no more dragons," Mirra replied, ignoring her sister scornful words.

The maid cleaning her feet, gave Mirra a kind smile as the child everyone thought of her to be. A curious, bright, young woman but nonetheless a child.

Mirra played with her paper dragon, mimicking the tales of dragons flying on the sky. She stretched her arms, moving the toy dragon in her hand with her wrist to make it come alive.

"Stop it. You'll jinx your wedding day. Would you rather a dragon take you, and Igor fight him?"

Her toy dragon fell from her hands to the floor and the maid cleaning her feet picked it up and gave it back to her.

"At least then I would've married a dragon-slayer." Little did she know she was soon to be called a dragon-slayer herself.

"Do you have any other worries?"

"My toy dragon won't fly..." Mirra continued playing with her toy.

"You've got your head on the clouds. Your toy, your groom - it's all the same to you. You have no feelings," Yaroslava scoffed.

"What-"

Her oldest sister slightly yanked her long braid.

"Nothing. Sit still."

"You're envious because you're still unmarried. By the way, Igor has the best horse in the land." Mirra's face shone with pride.

"Marry his horse then." Yaroslava forcefully yanked Mirra's long braid.

"You're hurting me!"

"Let go of this damned toy!" Slava pushed Mirra's hand away making her drop her toy dragon in the bathwater.

Mirra tried to get it back but the maid had already stood up and was moving away from the sisters' fight. Mirra stoop up, away from her sister, getting back control of her rope-like braid. She just wanted a peaceful day dedicated to her nuptials, but her bitter sister had other plans.

"Why did she want to upset me so on this day of all others? Who does she think she is?" she thought.

"Let me alone Yara! You're not my mother," Mirra shouted.

"Perhaps your heart is silent because you don't have one!"

"Don't you dare say that! Keep waiting for true love, you old maid!"

"What?!" Yaroslava had a dumbfounded look.

"Did she think she was the only one who could say hateful things?" Mirra thought.

The door opened.

"What's going on here?" An older man with long white hair and a short white beard entered the room, his blood red velvety robe seemed to be made of thick fabric since it didn't dance as he moved. Her father took the toy dragon out of the bathwater. "Is she misbehaving again?"

"But Father, she-" Mirra moved toward her father.

"Stop it!" Her father interjected. "Everyone's waiting and you're still quarreling with your sister!"

"If you only knew, Father, what she said to me," Mirra said. Her father fell silent, looking at her.

"All right then, what did she say to you?" The Duke asked.

"Nothing," Mirra replied after a long pause and sat back onto the chair.

"Nothing... nothing is what your toys are - your dragons, princesses and fairy tales." One of the maids wiped his hands with a towel. "You just can't grow up, can't you? You're not a child anymore." He threw the towel back at the maid and she scurried away. "Mirra." He placed his arms on a boat model. "You're going to be a duchess," her father said. "You must understand that and behave accordingly."

Mirra's looked down. First her sister, now her father.

Will they just give it a rest?

The duke walked toward a sitting Mirra. His steps resonating on the wooden floor.

"I know what's best for you. Igor is right for you. You'll grow to love him, and he'll grow to love you," he said in a softer voice, giving her a kind smile.

Mirra smiled back at him, her eyes a bit dampened by the rollercoaster ride her family just put her through. She was to marry a stranger, an extremely handsome one, but still a stranger.

"Can't a girl blow off some steam playing with her toy dragon? Why do they feel the need to badgered me like that?" Mirra thought.

He put his hands on Mirra's shoulders and she smiled. "Trust your father's heart: when there's love, everything else will follow."

After her father left, she continued getting ready for the ceremony. Her sister silently helped her, as if resigned to Mirra's stubbornness. The first thing to put on was the multilayered pearl collar necklace. It was so big the last pearl strand reached to her belly button. Next were beautifully decorated white leather shoes.

Mirra stood up to wear her white sarafan, a heavy coat that started at the neck and went all the way to her ankles, made of brocade fabric with baroque designs. It had two vertical lines made of lace trim that marked the opening of the coat which her sister buttoned up.

"This is your last chance, you can stop this." Her sister finally spoke, but Mirra wished she hadn't. Miroslava rolled her eyes and Yaroslava understood: There was no going back.

The only wedding attire left was the kokoshnik, an exquisite headdress made of brocade fabric, embroidered jewels, and braided pearls. The sheer veil sprang from the headdress onto her back and an intricate design made with pearls ran over her forehead, and around the rectangle at the front of the headdress. The rectangle enclosed a circular rosetta ornament made with embroidered jewels. The kokoshnik was heavy... all her clothes were, but she didn't mind it, after all, it was a one in a lifetime event so feeling sore and overwhelmed due to the heavy clothes was worth it. Right?

Mirra hurried downstairs and breathed deeply to calm herself before her maids opened the heavy wooden doors. She stepped into the hallway where half of the town and her father waited for her. The townsfolk cheered her on from the sidelines as Miroslava walked on the carefully laid bloodberries showing her the path to the dugout canoe. Her father waited for her midway, and once she was in front of him, he put on a long red necklace around her neck, kissed her on her forehead, and stepped aside.

Mirra continued on the path and stepped on the canoe made out of linden wood. It was adorned with light brown fur, red beaded fabrics and hand painted fabrics on the inside, and surrounded by red candles inside metal mugs and bloodberries on top. Miroslava gently laid on the canoe and waited for the men to carry her out of the hallway toward the exist. The townsfolk lavished her with gifts and she lifted her head slightly to see the people wishing her well. Everyone was radiant, looking happy, some clapping, others praying for her wellbeing.

The kids accompanying their parents were just as curious, but the canoe where the duke's daughter laid was too tall for them to see.

Mirra couldn't contain her happiness. Everything was finally how it was supposed to be. The men lowered the canoe into the water and she drifted into the small bay.

From the balcony, the young vedmas grinned, dressed in white, showered her with bloodberries. The townsfolk gathered in the bay, cheering for the glorious day.

Snowflakes fell from the white sky.

"It's strange... it was so bright earlier on, and now I can't see the sun," Mirra said to herself.

Her father entered the balcony using a carved staff as a cane, accompanied by her dispirited sister.

"We have not forgotten the dark times when we gave our daughters to the Dragon. We remember and will always remember the one who vanished the beast! Today we give our beautiful and precious daughters to the most distinguished men of our lands!" The duke gripped the staff as if trying to control his emotions. Yaroslava couldn't conceal her grouchiness. The duke didn't mind her, the marriage was happening and she wasn't one of the two involved, so it was technically not her business.

"Today I betroth my youngest daughter, Miroslava, to the fine grandson of the hero who rid us of the monster. Today, I am the happiest man alive!" The Duke lifted his staff as he opened his arms, reaching for the sky. "Because I give my daughter to the most distinguished knight in our lands, Igor!" The duke pointed out with his staff to the jetty on the other side of the bay.

"Because I give my daughter to the most distinguished knight in our lands, Igor!" The duke pointed out with his staff to the jetty on the other side of the bay  
"Look! It's the dragon slayer's grandson," a townsman said to his son. Everyone's eyes, including Mirra's, were on the tall, young man.

Everyone's eyes, including Mirra's, were on the tall, young man. Igor walked forward, making his dramatic entrance. The men-at-arms at each side of the wooden path, held the dagger-headed sovnyas with small flags across the pathway, blocking Igor's way. The weapons were pulled away with each step he took, making him look even more radiant and handsome than Mirra remembered. His blonde, shoulder length hair started to be covered by snowflakes. His curved, clearly defined eyebrows framed his beautiful green eyes. Mirra wondered if staring at those eyes long enough will make her fall in love.

He was her match, her father said so.

Igor's circle beard made his rosy lips look succulent. As he walked, he rested his hand on the sword's hilt. He had a mulberry silk rubakha, a shirt with long sleeves that narrowed at his wrists. On top of it, he had a gray chuga with a circles pattern. It was a cutoff bodice, with wide bell-shaped laps, sleeves with puff above the elbows. He seems to enjoy the crowd's cheer as much as Mirra did. His black coat had a trim that ran across his shoulders, made of a mulberry fabric with gold baroque designs. His attire was carefully chosen and it made Mirra smile. She thought she finally understood why her father chose him as her mate. He looked regal, fit for the Duke title, and seemed to care for his appearance as much as she did. They were indeed a match.

Miroslava was excited, but he didn't give her heart a tug. She didn't mind since she didn't believe in love. Mirra had never seen it, or experienced it, so it must be just a fairytale told to gullible children... and her sister. Yaroslava believed in love, it's one of the reasons she was going to end up an old maid.

Mirra wasn't going to wait for a love that would never come if it even existed. She was going to grab life by the horns and make it do her will. She would have everything she ever dreamed of, and more. She was to be a duchess, since her father didn't have any male heir, and she was going to do so by marrying the most coveted bachelor in the icy lands, the dragonslayer's grandson.

Igor stopped at the end of the wooden dock, grinning as he received the town's cheers. Dimitry, the captain of the guard, kneeled in front of him. The helmsman was much older than Igor, and was his protector. Mirra had a slight suspicion her sister had a crush on him. Dimitry was also a bachelor, but a Duke's daughter doesn't marry below her station. He offered Igor the ritual rope. Igor breathed deeply and took the rope in his hands, looking Mirra's way.

The crowd clamored at unison, prompting Igor to start the wedding ceremony.

Dimitry signaled the guards to start and they rhythmically thudded the wooden floor with their sovnyas.

Igor gripped the long rope tied to Mirra's canoe and pulled. The rope rose from the water and it splashed everyone around it. He kept pulling, bringing her to him, and his guards started chanting.

Time is a fast-flowing river.

It spares no one.

The bride awaits her bridegroom

as she awaits her destiny.

What's this? Mirra loved surprises, but why are they singing the dreadful dragon song? It made her uncomfortable. It was her wedding day, hey could have at least consulted the choice of songs with her. Her heart grew weary. "Dragons are dead," she whispered to herself. "Nothing will happen."

She is clad in white,

as if dressed in a shroud.

Eternal peace will come for her...

"Why are they singing the dragon song," one of the villagers asked.

"To honor his grandfather, the dragonslayer," their neighbor answered.

The wedding bell tolls.

Take her away!

Take her away!

The townsfolk joined them in the ritual song.

Come!

Come for her!

The young maiden

is yours for eternity.

The sky turned gray and strong winds were felt through the bay. The wind howled around the canoe and blew out the candles. A wall-like snow came out of nowhere, pushing down everything and everyone in its wake. The winds became stronger with each second it passed and a snowstorm was upon them, bewildering everyone around.

"Why is this happening?" It was supposed to be a tranquil day. Now, Miroslava laid in the middle of the bay with a snowstorm threatening her dear life.

A roar came from afar and a black dragon appeared. The two-legged dragon flapped his wings making the winds roar. The wild dragon took everyone by surprise. Mirra opened her eyes wide. She couldn't believe her eyes. She froze. What was she supposed to do? She was petrified.

"No, no! Dragons weren't supposed to exist anymore!" Miroslava shook her head. "This can't be happening to me!"

Igor's guards shouted "Dragon!", but it was too late. It came down on them and they instinctively crouched to avoid being impaled by the dragon. But the dragon wasn't after them, it was after the maiden dressed in white, waiting for it in the middle of the bay. The dragon planed down toward the water below and not even the roaring winds could dampen Miroslava's screams. It grabbed the canoe with its claws, submerging it in the water, making Mirra taste the salty water. She coughed and gasped for air as soon as the dragon lifted the canoe off the water.

She coughed and gasped for air as soon as the dragon lifted the canoe off the water.  
The dragon soared and the Duke called for her daughter. He tried to grab the canoe to save his daughter, but an old man was no match for a dragon's strength. All he could do was cry her name in despair as he reached for her, knowing he'll never get to hold her again.

The dragon turned around to leave the same way it came.

Igor still held the rope on his hands and he tried to pull the canoe from the beast. He quickly learned his strength was no match for the dragon's, so he did the next best thing. He wrapped the rope around a column before the dragon took off with his bride-to-be. It worked, it just wasn't a very good plan. The dragon was too high up and when the canoe fell, so did Mirra.

She was falling to her death. On the dock, Dimitry shoved Igor to the side to save him from a death by canoe.

Her heart raced so fast, she thought it was going to explode right there and then. Mirra didn't know what to think, was breaking her bones on the fall with the prospect of being drowned in icy waters any better than being burned or eaten alive by a dragon?

Mirra couldn't control the tears flowing out. Terrified, she shivered, the cold and the wetness of her clothes didn't help. Her voice was hoarse from screaming.

"Help!" Her arms reached out to the sky as if trying to get a hold of an invisible rope. "Please!"

"My wedding day..." The dragon planned down and swiftly grabbed her by the waist. Its claws tore into her skin, drawing blood. The shooting pain let her know the dragon clenched her tightly. The black beast soared high up into the sky, flying away with its prey. "It's now my funeral."

This is the end of chapter 1.

THANK YOU FOR READING!


	3. Chapter 2:The Dragon's Lair

The pouring rain and the whopping winds threatened to drown her before the dragon ever got a chance to eat her, or was it to burn her?

"Alive."

She was still alive, but for how long? No one else could tell the tears from the rain, but her. No one else could feel her desperation, her outrage, her fear and the pain. The pain from knowing her life ended before it even began. The pain from knowing she would never see her home, her family ever again, and the pain from its claws clenching her waist and tearing her apart.

She gasped for air. Its claws made it difficult for her to breathe any easier.

The dragon jolted her. Its wings so big, it brought cold gales every time the dragon flapped them, making her shudder evermore.

Even though it held her tight, she gripped its talon, fearing she would fall into the nothingness of the sea.

It was too dark for her to tell between the sky and the sea, but it felt as if the dragon was taking her into another dimension altogether.

Her heart, wanting to rid her of this awful feeling, tried to jump out of her chest to squeeze the remaining tears from her being to shield her from her impending doom.

The sky lightened for a few seconds, followed by the clouds' roar, waking Mirra from her terrified state.

"It's a nightmare! It has to be a nightmare. Please, God! Let me wake up!" She roused with just enough time to see the shape of its lair before the dragon brought her in.

The dragon swung haphazardly, fluttering its wings as if losing control.

Mirra thought the dragon was just toying with its food, with her, before the event, but no. There was something wrong with it. An otherwise swift and terrifying being was agitated, flittering inside the cave, and then, it released its grasp on Mirra.

The dragon swung its front claws, trying to get to her.

It lost its grip.

The dragon roared.

Mirra fell into a pit, but her sarafan got caught up on the jagged rock and she was slipping out of it. She tried to hold onto her sarafan to avoid falling in the hole, but her hands were giving up. Why was her body against her when she needed it the most?

After countless hours flying in the dragon's claws, her whole body reek of pain. She couldn't hold onto, no matter how much she wanted to. The fabric slipped through her fingers.

No! Please! She needed to escape. It was her only way out.

The last thing she saw was the dragon roaring, looking as distress as she was, before she hit her head and everything went black./p

⥈

"My sister! My precious little sister was taken by a fricking dragon!" Yaroslava paced from one corner to the next. "How did this happen? Seems like Igor's grandad lied, and kept it hidden after all these years. Was anything he ever said true? Now, my sister... No, there has to be a way to get her back before..." She couldn't help but keep walking to burn away her energy, her anguish. "No, nothing will happen."

Dimitry came out of the room where Igor and her father, the Duke, were discussing something.

"A rescue plan, perhaps?"

Dimitry walked slowly, but decisively toward her.

Yara wanted to hug him and cry on his arms for days on end, but she didn't. She knew the possibility of having a love marriage disappeared the moment her sister was taken.

Yara dried her tears with a handkerchief while she waited for Dimitry to speak with his lovely, husky voice. She knew he didn't have to speak to her directly since she would know what was decided sooner rather than later. After all, she was the Duke's daughter. She just hoped she wasn't the only one.

Dimitry wanted to talk to her. She would have been in such a bliss if it weren't for the horrid circumstances. Knowing her sister, along with her only chance at love starting at her with those big, round eyes were far from her reach, made her burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry." She tried to regain some composure. " I didn't mean to."

"It's alright." He gave her his own handkerchief. It was blue, the color of his eyes.

She took it and dried her tears once again.

"I wanted you to know we're doing everything in our hands to get your sister - Igor's bride-to-be back to you, to her home," Dimitry reassured her.

"Thank you." Yasoslava sniffled.

"We're making the preparations and we'll be leaving first thing in the morning." Dimitry looked tired, they all were.

p"It's been a long day," she thought./p

p"We're going to find her and slay the dragon once and for all, for all of our sakes." Dimitry made a slight bow before walking away./p

pYara loved his broad, inviting shoulders and hated herself for wanting him when her sister was in harm's way./p

p"If only Igor hadn't requested the awful ritual song." She sighed. If only... She blamed him for her sister's abduction. How could she not? It was his stupid idea. People already adored him, but he wanted more. He always wanted more./p

Mirra screamed like her life depended on it, but it really didn't. She was just exerting herself and wasting away the little energy she had left. She wanted to rid herself of the nightmare she found herself in, but she woke up in a strange, hard and cold place instead of her comfy and feathery bed.

She stood up, trying to discern between the many shades of black and brought her hand to her chest to get a hold of her racing heart.

"How long was I out?"

Mirra reached out with her arms trying to get a feel of the hole she found herself in and felt a horrible pain on the side of her torso. Remembering that's where the dragon's held onto her, she shuddered, thinking about its claws wrapping around her as it traveled back to its lair. She put her hands on the wound, as if to contain the pain... until her eyes got accustomed to the dark.

The only light came from the pit she had fallen from, in what she thought were moments before. She walked toward the dim light and saw it.

Her sarafan hanged from the pit's opening, taunting her to try her luck. Mirra rubbed her hands together, and climbed the jagged stones, trying to reach what was closest to her, one of her sarafan sleeves. Her legs wobbled, threatening to give out. She finally got a hold of it before they did, and she hanged mid-air, hoping not to fall down.

Then she saw it, a little beast with yellow eyes that looked like gold rings staring at her and baring its rows of sharp teeth. Hoping it would leave her alone, she hanged on, literally, but it didn't. The rabid marsupial charged at her with all its might. She screamed, letting go of the sarafan and fell to the cold, hard ground. She didn't have much time to think. She just retreated to a corner hoping it got just as scared as she was. Its human-like forepaws were the first thing she saw before it jumped out of its little hole into the ground and rushed toward her. It growled at her, walking from side to side, waiting for a chance to strike.

Mirra grabbed a rock the size of her hand, ready to defend herself against the little beast.

It snarled. It definitely knew what it meant.

Mirra wasn't just about to be a little beast's dinner when she still needed to find a way to escape from the bigger, scarier beast. She lifted the stone.

"Don't do it. You'll just make it angrier."

Mirra glanced around, looking for the origin of the strange voice.

"Put the stone down."

The little beast was indeed angrier. Was she doing the right thing? Would she be able to defeat the little beast if she tried? The deep voice talking to her didn't seem to think so.

"Put it down."

She put the stone down. Why was she listening to someone she just met? He was alive on this place, maybe he knew something she could use to escape.

"Don't look it in the eyes."

Mirra looked away.

"Lie down," the man said.

She lay down slowly. Her body shook with each breath she took.

I must be crazy! Why on earth I'm following advice that could get me killed? Her heart pounded just as much as when she was taken by the dragon.

"Strech your neck."

What? No, I can't do that! Do you want me to die on this horrid place? But she did.

The little beast charged at her, snarled next to her neck, sniffing it along with her face. It snarled one last time before going back to where it came from, but not before it took her sarafan with it.

Shitty little beast. If I ever get the chance...

Her only chance to escape, gone.

She sighed.

A dying fish flew out of nowhere and landed next to her.

"What on earth?"

The fish was still alive, gasping for water./p

Mirra backed away, searching for the source of the voice and the fish.

"Hey..." Her voice faltered.

"Hey!" "That's better," she thought. "Who are you?" Mirra stood up and walked, looking for the voice, but the dim light didn't help much. "Did Igor send you to rescue me?" She hoped.

"No," he answered. "I don't know who Igor is."

She stopped moving and held onto the cave wall as she caught her breath.

"Help me get out of here," she pleaded. " I'm the Duke's daughter." She stretched her arms at nothing in particular. "My father will reward you handsomely."

"I can't help you," the husky voice replied.

She fell silent, in horror. Only her thoughts broke the silence between her breaths.

"So you're a prisoner too..." Mirra fell to her knees.

"There's no escaping the dragon." The sultry voice vibrated through the cave.

"What was that evil creature?" Feeling dejected, she decided to ask the stranger, "is it a sentry?" Mirra didn't know what to think anymore.

"Yes," he replied.

"Where's the dragon now?"

"He's sleeping. It's not safe for us to talk."

"What does he need me for? Huh? What's going to happen to me?"

"I've told you too much already. You're on your own now."

Mirra panicked. She stood up once again looking for the voice about to leave her all alone in the dragon's lair.

"No, no, no! Please talk to me! Please!" The hit the cave walls, trying to get his attention, desperate for even a bit of humanity. All she asked was a conversation from the stranger to ground her and keep her from going insane. Was that too much to ask? Mirra fell on her knees again and lay down, crying. Was there anything else she could do but cry?

"Why did your people sign the ritual song?" The stranger asked.

"We thought there were no more dragons." She sobbed, curling into a fetal position.

"You summoned him yourselves," he growled.

"Igor wanted it that way."

"Who is Igor?"

"My bridegroom," Mirra answered. "I didn't know anything about it." She cried. "I was getting married." She cried and cried again, feeling sorry for her pitiful self, until there were no more tears left to cry.

Small rocks rumbled.

Mirra looked up to see where the noise came up and saw a hand stretching out to her from a hole on the wall.

"Here," the man offered whatever was on his hand. "It's for your wounds. This will make them heal better."

She stood up and walked up to him, grabbing the rock with ointment from his hand. She glanced at the kind stranger for the first time and her heart skipped a beat.

"Oh..." She wasn't expecting that as her cellmate. "You don't look like a prisoner."

"I don't?" He was as curious of her as she of him. She could look at those deep, beautiful black eyes boring into hers, and his lips... why was her mind in the gutter when she was in such a dire situation?

"I imagined you be all dirty and covered in cobwebs." She chose her words carefully, not wanting to show how she felt. "But you look..." She smiled at him. "Different." Her heart fluttered. This is unexpected. Mirra backed away from him.

"Thank you." She walked to a corner of the cave in small steps and smelled the ointment. "This smells nice. What is it?"

"See those leaves above the pit? A paste made from them can heal wounds."

"You know what I realized?"

"What?"

"Why was his voice so deep and sweet and swoon-worthy?" she thought. She hated the idea of wavering and forgetting where she was just because of a handsome voice.

"We haven't introduced ourselves. My name is Mirra. What's yours?" She waited for an answer for what felt like forever before he finally spoke./p

"I don't remember my name," he answered.

"How's that? How can you forget your own name?"

"You can if you don't need it anymore," he whispered.

Mirra felt guilty to make him feel ashamed. She didn't know what comforting words she could say since she just met him so she just silently worked on her wounds. Mirra untied the laces of her kosovorotka, a long warm dress shirt with long sleeves made of fine linen and embroidered with five different patterns of white lace. Or what was left of it anyways. It was dirty and in rags. She left her upper back exposed and proceed to put the ointment on her wounds.

She left her upper back exposed and proceed to put the ointment on her wounds.

"You are... very beautiful, Mirra," the man with no name said.

Mirra gasped, indignant, and quickly covered herself from his prying eyes.

"Are you looking at me?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Don't look!" She demanded.

"Why?"

"Why? Don't you understand?"

"No, I don't. I look at birds, at fish... why can't I look at you?" He answered with such innocent words. He didn't understand her.

He's been alone for too long. He doesn't know it isn't proper. She sighed. Something glimmered on the muddy ground.

She grabbed the bead thinking it must have fallen from her on the way down. She pulled the beaded necklace from the mud.

"Those aren't pearls. They don't belong to me!" she thought.

"Have you tried to run away?" She held the muddy, crystal beads. They looked old like they've been there much longer than she dared to think.

"You can't run away from here." He paused. "It's an island."

"So you can sail away."

"The sea can kill too."

"I need a big stone." She searched for the perfect stone to get rid of the little pest.

"What for?"

"Here's the plan: when that evil creature comes back, you'll distract it, and I'll hit it. We'll escape while the dragon sleeps." It was now or never. She wasn't going to wait for her knight in shining armor to come and rescue her. Her hands and feet still worked and she damn well wasn't just going to wait it out.

"You can't leave the pit. No one but the dragon slayer knows how to kill the dragon. Wait and he'll come for you."

"Enough!" Mirra threw the chosen rock to the ground and turned around, walking toward the handsome stranger. "I must escape. Will you help me?"

"It won't work, Mirra! He hears and sees everything! You can't even imagine what he's capable of!" How could such awful words come from an angel?

"You know who you are?" She looked through the hole to see the lovely face she wanted to hurt. "A coward. That's who you are. Silly me, I even chose a name for you." She took a big stone from the floor. "Coward! Don't you dare look at me again." She covered the hole with the rock in a fit of rage. She grunted and heaved.

"What's the use of a pretty face if it belongs to a coward?" she thought. She walked toward the light, and look up to the opening of the pit, taunting her to escape. "What if?" she whispered. She looked down at her ankle length hair. "Will it be possible?" she thought.

END OF CHAPTER 2


	4. Chapter 3: The Fall

Mirra held her long braid between her arms. She would have cried at the thought of what she was about to do but she felt, even if she wanted, the tears wouldn't come out. She was dried out of them. Besides, what was more important a very much alive, hairless princess or a dead one with gorgeous hair? Mirra might love fashion and fancy feasts, but she was a practical noble, and her mind was telling her getting out of there alive was better than dying with grace.  
She looked for the sharpest stone in her hole. It needed to be sharp enough to cut through her hair. She found one the size of her palm and proceeded to unbraid her hair to start cutting it. She held her breath knowing it was going to hurt before she started. She hair ripped with each stone cut she gave. The sound felt foreign, similar to when one rips old fabrics. They gave away easy but screamed one last time at the injustice of being torn apart.

Her hair has never seen a worse day than this. It was even worse than the time they cut her hair when she was five years old to handle the castle's lice infestation. She remembered crying because they were calling her a boy. Mirra wished her life would have gotten back to that time, to when dragons were just legends and not a scary reality.

She arranged the hair strands to braid them and started humming to distract herself from the unnerving silence, only broken by the few drops of water that fell from afar.

"Mirra? Hey…"

She kept working, annoyed at the interruption and thought "what the heck does he want?"

"Mirra, what are you doing there?"

"None of your business." The rope was almost completed. She didn't need him, not anymore.

"Mirra, I'm not a coward. I hate the dragon as much as you do, but I can't defeat him."

"That's the kind of thing a coward would say." Mirra finished braiding her rope made of hair and tied a knot around a rectangular rock.

"Mirra… what name did you… chose for me?"

She sighed before answering, "Arman".

"Arman… That's a nice name." He paused. "Why Arman?"

"Well…" She smiled, a bit embarrassed about what she was about to say. "It's exotic… just like you, and mysterious."

"What does it mean?"

"A dream." She stopped working on the knot and just rested wanting to listen to his entrancing voice a while longer.

"Forgive me, Mirra." She looked back at the little hole she covered with the stone and walked up to it. She took the stone off to have another look at the handsome stranger with the beautiful, inviting black eyes. Arman had his back up to the wall and he didn't have a shirt on. It didn't surprise her, but it still made her blush.

"Give me your hand," she asked, extending her own into the small hole.

"My hand? What for?"

"Now that you have a name, let's get acquainted. When people get acquainted, they shake hands." He looked at his hand and she wondered what was troubling him. "Nice to meet you, Arman. I'm Mirra." She couldn't help but smile at him. She wanted him… to feel reassured. She didn't know why. He just made her warm and fuzzy inside. He reminded her of a lost puppy she found wandering on the castle once. She thought he felt innocent, or maybe pure, or both? He kept looking at his hand as if debating to accept her truce.

"Nice to meet you, Mirra." Then he stared at her and she felt lightheaded. She wasn't sure of the time of day inside the hole, it could have been hours or days since the last time she ate. His slight smile brought her back from her thoughts. She had seen Igor smile and laugh before and he was beautiful, but this, she couldn't put it in words. Why was this stranger giving her the most bewildering thoughts that weren't proper of a lady? "I'm Arman." He extended his hand to shake hers. Their hands closed and she felt the warmth of his hand reminding her she was couldn't help but think if his chest would feel this warm.

He jerked her arm back into the hole. Mirra gasped, fearful of what this meant.

"What are you doing?" The dragon roared, but she wasn't sure where it came from. How close was the beast?

"It's the dragon. Hide, Mirra!" Her arm hurt, it felt like something was trying to tear it apart. "No matter what happens, don't leave the pit! Stay there!" Whatever it was, it finally let her go and she scurried back, away from the hole. She could hear the dragon's roars really close to Arman's screams.  
She feared he was going to die. The whole cave trembled and the dragon arose looking down at the pit. It roared, scratching at the hole of the pit, trying to break it, desperate to get to her.

Mirra crouched in a corner, trying her best to hide from it.

The rocks kept falling with each of the beast's attempts. Some reached her, but she protected her head, even if her arms were suffering in its stead. She couldn't help to scream. It got to Arman and now it wanted her for dessert.

The dragon stopped carving and the roars felt farther away until it was gone.

Mirra got up, holding on the walls of the cave until she was in front of the small hole again.

"Arman? Where are you?" Mirra wanted to hear his voice, to know he was well. "Where are you, Arman?"

"Just one word. Just one word will do," she whispered. She hugged the wall. "Where are you, Arman?" She started sobbing. All alone with a monster, again. At least Arman kept her company. She tried to make sense of her feelings, but she couldn't. His loss felt raw. She bawled at the thought her prison mate was the dragon's dinner.

She looked up to the pit's opening. She didn't want to be his breakfast. She thought it was probably sleeping off his dinner someplace else so she was going to take her chances. It was now or never. She took her rope and threw the knotted stone onto the outside, but it fell. She knew the chances of getting it the first time were low, but it still felt horrible. She tried and tried again until it hooked onto something, then she pulled, making sure it was safe to climb.

She started climbing but it broke halfway through and she fell again into the pit. She screamed as she fell on the side the beast's talons dug into her. She looked back at her rope. All that work, all that pain, for nothing. She grabbed the biggest rock she could find and started hacking at the hole where she saw him last.

"Don't leave me here, alone!" She kept hacking in frustration until the wall gave out and the pieces of broken stone fell onto the floor. She stepped back, careful not to hurt her feet, and there it was. A way out. It was just big enough for her to crawl out. Burning ash flickered on the other side.

"Arman?" She crawled out and stood up. She saw a couple of burning branches here and there. "Where are you, Arman?" She asked for him but all it came back were echoes of her own voice. She held onto the walls as she searched for any sign of the dragon. "Arman, where are you?" She kept climbing, trying to make sense of the cave's layout, but it was too dark to make anything out. She could hear the waves crashing on the other side and there was, a piece of the starry sky. She kept climbing toward it, but the dragon appeared at the end. His wings were so large they covered the opening.

She gasped. Mirra wasn't going to be his breakfast, but his main course. She ran back, hoping it wouldn't catch up to her. She ran as fast as she could but the dragon took flight and it was about to get to her when she fell and found refuge behind a boulder. It wasn't going to last long. The dragon started gliding back and she kept running until she found another opening. She ran in just in time. The dragon's fiery breath almost made her roasted meat. Good thing she had fast reflexes.

The fire shot through the opening, lighting a few roots that were sticking out. As if it was showing her the way, she kept running, then climbing until she saw the moonlight. She could feel the fresh air brushing against her skin. It was refreshing to breathe something other than musty air. Mirra finished climbing and saw the sky for the first time in a while. She wanted to keep running but stopped when she realized she was in a precipice. Seagulls squawked around her. The climb was steeper than she realized.

"Watch out! It's very high up here!"

"You're alive!" Mirra was happy to be outside but seeing him alive made her joyous. They could find a way to leave this horrid place, together. With the moonlight she could see him better, and his six-pack. "Oh, hello there," she thought. She walked up to him but the little beast appeared next to him snarling at her, making her step back.

"Why did you leave the pit? I told you not to!" The beast was ready to attack her but Arman waved his hand and it went behind him.

She felt her heart stand still. "With a hand-wave, it obeyed him. It obeyed Arman" she thought.

"That's what he's waiting for!"

"Why does that creature... obeyed you?" She was afraid of the answer.

"Mirra—"

"Who are you?" Has he been playing her all alone? Were they all in this together and this was just a sadistic way to play with their food?

"Mirra, wait..."

"Stay away from me!" She started walking backward.

"It's hard to explain."

"Stay away!" She didn't know what this was, but she wanted no part on it.

"Watch your step," Arman asked.

"I trusted you, but you lied to me!" She used her arms for balanced as she distanced herself from him.

"Mirra, the dragon."

"The dragon will get nothing!"

"Mirra, don't do it!"

"Nothing!" Mira tripped and fell backward.

"Mirra, don't!" She fell into nothingness. "No!" The precipice was so high up that his screams disappeared the farther she fell.

"So this is it," she thought. She closed her eyes waiting for her inevitable end, but the high winds flipped her and she instinctively opened them again, only to see the ground getting closer.

She felt a warm hand on her waist. It was Arman's.

The wind flipped them both and he held onto her arms. He screamed, but what came out was a roar, the dragon's roars. His chest cracked, fire came from within and burning ashes flew away from him. Whatever happened, he was hurting. His fiery veins covered his body as he twisted in pain, but he still held onto her.

"Let go of me!" She fought him off but he caught her again.

"Trust me! Trust me! It's not time yet!" He looked back for a second.

They were both free falling to their deaths. The ground was closing in. She screamed, trying to get away from him. They were about to die and he was talking nonsense. Why did he want to hold on to her? She didn't understand and it conflicted her.

The center of his chest was burning up, illuminating the veins of his body in a fiery red light, but somehow her eyes wandered to his abs. Why did she still think he handsome even as she was falling to her death?

Arman said something in a language she didn't recognize but somehow knew it meant 'now'. His eyes turned fiery red when he let go of her. His head went aflame, like lava, it consumed him whole. His body burned from the fire that came from within.

A flash of fiery light blinded Mirra and when she blinked, she saw the dragon's shape in its stead. It was still burning the same way Arman was moments ago.

Mirra heard the dragon's roared. The fire disappeared and she saw it. The black dragon grabbed her and she screamed. Mirra thought that at least she wasn't going to die as his dinner, but now she was there, at his mercy. The dragon was flapping his wings, fighting against the current. It roared on more time and looked back at the closing distance from the ground.

t"I guess you won't get to eat me after all," she thought scornfully. Then she realized, its talons weren't cutting into her. It was being… careful. Just before they hit the ground, it wrapped its wings around her.


End file.
